Mexican Adobo Chicken (2024)

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As a card-carrying red chili lover, saucy Mexican Adobo Chicken is the encapsulation of everything I love the most:

• The super-easy Mexican Adobo sauce is lush, spicy, savory, and saturated with the incredible smokey flavor of red chilies.
• The recipe is quick and easy and requires just 1 pot.
• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are juicy and tender and fully cooked after just 20 minutes of simmering in their delicious Mexican Adobo bath.
• The chicken can be eaten over rice, with beans or crispy fried potatoes and some pickled onions, or shredded and layered into tortillas for adobo chicken tacos.

If you're a fellow member of the red-chili lover club, you might want to take a moment to add Adobo Fish Tacos, Cheese Enchilada Casserole, Vegan Taco Meat, and Stuffed Poblano Peppers to your to-make list. Then come back here and get ready to fall in love with your new favorite comfort food.

Ingredients Needed to Prepare This Recipe

Mexican Adobo Chicken is a one-pot dish that requires just a few ingredients:

1. Butter and vegetable oil. Browning the chicken in a combination of butter and vegetable oil before smothering it in Mexican Adobo sauce creates a more flavorful dish than using oil alone. Using only butter can result in burnt butter.
2. Boneless skinless chicken thighs. Using boneless, skinless chicken thighs makes this dish quick, easy, less fatty, and easier to eat. You could also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts if you like, but I think thighs are more flavorful, tender, and juicy.
3. Mexican Adobo. Adobo is a staple sauce in Mexican cooking used in a wide variety of dishes. This Mexican Adobo recipe takes only 25 minutes to makeand requires just a handful of ingredients: diced garlic and jalapeño, dried spices, pureed red chile, vinegar, and fresh cilantro. Make a double batch of adobo so you have enough to coat the chicken and spoon over rice (or whatever else you're serving), with plenty left over to sop up with warm tortillas.

*See the recipe card for precise quantities.

How to Make Mexican Adobo Chicken

Step #1: Make the Mexican Adobo Sauce.

Follow this Mexican Adobo Recipe to prepare a double batch of adobo. You should have approximately 2 cups of adobo.

By the way, Mexican Adobo can be prepared up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Step #2: Brown the Chicken.

Blot the chicken with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel to soak up excess moisture. Then, add the chicken to a hot skillet containing some vegetable oil and melted butter.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and let it cook on one side until starting to brown.

See Also

Adobo Seasoning - A Guide, Substitutions Plus RecipeAdobo Seasoning (Homemade Recipe)Mexican Chicken Adobo | Tender Braised Chicken In Homemade Adobo SauceAdobo Sauce Recipe | The Ultimate Guide

Flip the chicken over, sprinkle with a bit more salt and pepper, and let it cook until brown on the other side.

#3. Pour the Mexican Adobo over the chicken.

Pour the adobo sauce over the chicken, bring it to a boil, then cover the pan and let the chicken simmer until cooked through - about 20 minutes.

That's it! The chicken is now ready to serve!

How to Serve Mexican Adobo Chicken

My favorite way to eat Mexican Adobo Chicken is over rice or stuffed into tacos. But honestly, there's no wrong way to eat this saucy chicken.

• Shred the chicken and use it as a filling for burritos or enchiladas
• Use Mexican Adobo Chicken to make sandwiches or wraps (so good with sliced avocado, pickled onions, and cotija cheese)
• Shred the chicken and use it to top nachos or tostadas
• Add cooked Mexican Adobo Chicken to Chicken Tortilla Soup or Cheese Enchilada Casserole

Or, serve it as pictured here: Spooned over rice and topped with sliced avocado and quick pickled onions.

I also love to serve Mexican Adobo Chicken with crispy fried potatoes and a stack of warm homemade flour tortillas to sop up all that delicious adobo sauce.

How to Prepare this Recipe in Advance

Mexican Adobo Sauce can be prepared up to 2 weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 3 months.

After cooking, you can keep the Mexican Adobo Chicken in the sauce for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Or, scoop the chicken and the sauce into a freezer container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Allow frozen adobo chicken to thaw in the refrigerator overnight then reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. Reheating this dish over low heat is important to prevent the sauce on the bottom of the pan from burning.

Mexican Adobo Chicken Makes a Great Camping Recipe

Calling all campers! Mexican Adobo Chicken is a perfect camping recipe. The adobo sauce can be made in advance and the chicken can be cooked on an RV stovetop, a camping stove, Blackstone Griddle, or even over an open flame.

It's important to match the cooking pan to the heat source you will be using to cook the chicken.

If cooking on a Blackstone Griddle or over an open flame, use a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or cast iron dutch oven. The acid in the adobo can react with cast iron and cause a metallic flavor IF the pan isn't well seasoned. Use a well-seasoned pan, and you're golden.

One more thing to note about cast iron - even if your pan is well seasoned, don't store leftover adobo chicken in the cast iron pan. Scoop it into another non-reactive container for storage.

And, don't forget dessert! Try this Dutch oven chocolate cake on your next camping trip. It has a soft, light and springy texture that's creamy, buttery and deeply chocolate, no oven required! + More camping recipes.

FAQs

What to do with leftover adobo chicken

Adobo chicken reheats really well, so I often cook extra just for the leftovers. Add it to cheese enchiladas to make chicken enchiladas or to black bean enchiladas for chicken and bean enchiladas.

For two super quick weeknight dinner ideas, toss leftover adobo chicken onto this 20-minute garlic chipotle pasta or this 30-minute chicken soup.

And, of course, Mexican adobo chicken is the perfect addition to chicken tortilla soup.

More Popular Mexican-Inspired Recipes

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📖 Recipe

Food Safety Tips

• Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw poultry
• Wash hands after touching raw poultry
• Don't leave cooked or uncooked poultry sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.